Birthstone: November

TOPAZ vs CITRINE

Believed by the Egyptians to posses a glow casted by Ra the Sun God, is the November birthstone Topaz.
Meaning "fire" in Sanskrit, Topaz are most popular for their rich yellowish orange color, as not many gemstones come in yellow hues in Nature. These gems have been found in very large sizes weighing several hundred of pounds although they are still pretty rare.
One of the most famous colorless topaz, was said to be so spectacular that is was set in the Portuguese crown jewels because it was mistaken for a 1680 carat diamond. Years later, it was found that the joke was one them.

Another mistake that is often made among gemstones is Novembers alternate yellow birthstone, the Citrine. Years ago, there was a rapid growth in popularity of the lemon colored gemstones by the European bourgeoisie. They wanted flashy, elaborate baubles containing what is called Golden or Smoky Topaz, when in fact, these were merely treated citrine. Around the middle of the 18th century, it was discovered that amethyst could be heated to very high temperatures to create the look of yellow citrine, thus starting the trend.
With most jewelry, only a trained eye can spot the difference between a topaz and a natural yellow citrine (burnt citrine contains a suble striped look and can be considerably less expensive than topaz).

Here's a shot of the beautiful actress/model Milla Jovovich at the premiere of her movie The Perfect Getaway wearing a stunning citrine necklace.
I'm not particularly in love with it paired with her outfit. I would have liked to see her in maybe a pale blue topaz piece to set off those amazing eyes of hers. Still a decent look though. ~vK